Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

"You are nothing more than a midge on the backside of a dung beetle." Well, the ending of this was unexpected — but hang on, I’ll get to that! Alongside Indigo and Ignatius, we’ve searched for The Book of Consciousness, The Book of Shadows, and now, in Soulslayers, the third book in the series, we’re hunting the Flaming Celestial Pearl and the secret it holds. These two don’t lead dull lives, that’s for sure. Fancy travelling to the other side of the world — and it taking ten days by air! Personally, I think I’d rather go by luxurious cruise ship. 🛳 I really enjoyed Soulslayers, and having read the previous two books, I now feel I’ve got a firm grip on who the characters are and what their purpose is in the cosmos. The author has a fantastic imagination, and the story moves along at a great pace — there’s never a dull moment! I’d have liked a bit more of a battle at the end, though — violence is always good in a story, in my opinion! 😂 The Charon were definitely put in thei...

“If you don't trust us, why tell us?” And so Leo’s ominous plans for expanding the British Empire continue, while the Resistance fights back, in the second instalment of Russell Dumper’s Britannia series. Having got my head around the world-building in the first book, I settled into Britannia Strikes very quickly this time, now that I know who everyone is and what their roles are. I still can’t help picturing our current Royal Family as this fictitious one though 🙈 — it’s been very cleverly imagined by the author. I’m not usually a fan of political stories, but this series has really grabbed my attention. The level of research that must have gone into it is phenomenal, and I’m full of admiration for Russell’s dedication to a world he’s been developing since his teenage years. This is a dystopian novel full of intrigue and mystery — and it’s quite frankly unsettling at times, as you realise how easily its events could mirror the real world, with all its relentless and often controv...

'The illusion of some level of democracy over there keeps the people satisfied.' I have had this book on my shelf for a couple of years (sorry Russell), 🙈 but as the second book in the series is out next week, I decided I would read them back to back. Of course I hadn't looked at the synopsis for ages and so I had no idea what I was getting into, and admittedly it did take me a while to get to grips with the characters, the story and the slight weirdness of it all. However, once I'd got all that sorted in my head, I flew through it.  Britannia Rises starts off a bit slow, but once it gets going the pace really picks up. Before I knew it, I was racing through the pages trying to keep up with the action.. The book is a dystopian take on an alternative view on the monarchy and Britain as we know it. Gone are the days of our adorable Queen, and in steps her son, and more importantly, her grandson who is set to change our country as we know it. All this is in the book, don...

'She is your darkest thoughts, your darkest fears. She will feed off your fear and hatred and grow stronger.' The second book and another mission for the Union Jacks, only these time, there appears to be more than one of each of them! Doppelgängers, spirit doubles, alter ego or ethereal twin, call them what you like, but ultimately it means double the trouble, or double the support, depending on whose point of view you're looking at! Shadowslayers is a fast-paced, exciting second book from new author, Colin Sephton. The many battles are charged with excitement, blood-soaked detail, and nail-biting anticipation, as Indigo, Ignatius, and their allies fight to uncover the elusive Book of Shadows, contain its horrors, and keep each other alive.  With a tense and open-ended finish, we are left with the potential for another mission. What will come next for our Union Jack agents? Can just the two of them be expected to keep the entire universe safe. Thank you to Colin Sephton and...

'If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever. ' Although I have a beautiful, Penguin clothbound copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four, I chose to listen to it, and I'm so glad I did! As soon as the narrator spoke the first words, I knew that I knew him, and it took me all of five minutes to realise that it was Adam from the Archers. He was phenomenal, and made Winston come to life! I read this book many, many years ago, and I couldn't remember a thing about it. I found it terrifying that the authoritarian state in which he's living, could be said to resemble what's happening in certain parts of the world right now. Let's rewrite history, and make it the way we want it!😲 I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but now and then, Orwell goes off on a tangent and I became bored quite quickly. Nineteen Eighty-Four is definitely worth a read, just because it's a classic. Oh, and I love that he lived about thirty minutes from me, ...

'I’m the one who decides whether you walk out of here alive' 'Obsessed, cliffhanger, Team Uprising, Team Crazy Redden Brothers, Team Sane Cross' - just a few of the words and phrases that #thatindiebookclub used to describe this stunning novel by Dani Francis. Silver Elite is the first book in the dystopian romance trilogy, which has taken the fantasy book world by storm. I'm thrilled that our book club chose Silver Elite for their July read. The world-building is light and easy to understand, the characters are a mixture of badass and kind, as well as badass and evil! I fell in love with Wren, maybe not quite from the start, but definitely as soon as she joined the training program which shapes her into the formidable warrior she is to become.  Who knew that we needed another fantasy series in our lives! With similarities that you'll possibly notice from others such as Fourth Wing and Hunger Games, Silver Elite has enough unique aspects to make it into a series...

Warning! The dog dies! This isn't a spoiler because it's in the synopsis - I just never read them! However, it happens early on, and I soon got past that tragic event as the story picked up pace and, despite the murder, death, blood, guts and gore, I absolutely could not get enough, I was eager to find out what happened, and those pages just weren't turning fast enough!  I had no idea how I'd feel about this book, Russell is a new-to-me author and the subject, a little outside my comfort zone. There definitely aren't any cute bookshops and happy-ever-afters in The Hero Virus! Think thriller, crime and suspense with a dystopian undertone, the world looks like it's going to end, and that might just well be due to just one man. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, it's fast-paced, entertaining, has great character development and I didn't know how it was all going to end. At one point I thought there might be a sequel coming. The author wrapped it all up ni...

I can easily immerse myself into someone else’s dystopian world, so when Samantha Fitzgibbons reached out and asked me whether I would like to read her brand new, debut dystopian novel, Happy State, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Happy State is brilliantly written, and I loved it from beginning to end. It was incredibly dark throughout, and I often shuddered and wondering just what the UK would be like if democracy became a dictatorship. It just doesn’t bear thinking about.  Rafella is our protagonist, and she has had to get used to having a curfew and being told what time she has to be home at night. Mobile phones are no longer allowed and nightclubs no longer exist. What I found difficult to comprehend was the plan to ‘remove’ people with any sort of mental illness from society. It was just horrifying. Happy State ended on a massive cliffhanger and I hope Samantha Fitzgibbons is well on her way to writing the next one!  I would definitely recommend Happy Stat...

From the beginning, I was drawn onto Naña’s island and into her world. An island that seems to be in the middle of an ocean and perhaps within a Bermuda triangle-type vortex. Naña and her fellow islanders hide from any visitors, and only show themselves when they feel safe. So, when survivors of a shipwreck land on the island, they initially seem to be on a deserted island. We are soon thrown into a world of fighting monsters and characters fighting for their lives whilst trying to save each other. I enjoyed this short novella, but I felt that it could have done with a final edit to iron out the few errors I found. I would also appreciate some world-building to understand more about what is happening and why. There is definitely scope for further, perhaps full-length books and I would like to see what the author comes up with next.  Thank you to Jack E. Mohr for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Mayatte’s Catharsis. Amazon  |  Instagram  |  Twitte...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I love a dystopian; the world is ending, kind of book and The Book of Sand by Theo Clare didn’t fail to deliver. Written with a parallel timeline, Mckenzie is a teenager, living in the present day in Virginia in the USA. Spider (I couldn’t work out what age Spider was supposed to be), is living in a parallel universe somewhere in a desert, which comprises various countries, states and cities from around the world. He is surrounded by his desert family and they are on a mission to discover the Sarkpont and although they aren’t sure what that is; they know that other families are searching for it too. They also know that if they don’t find it, their quest is over. We flit back and forth between Mckenzie and the family in the desert, both linked in some way, although it’s a while until we discover how. Seemingly, Mckenzie’s life is just that of a normal teenager’s, although she appears to have some psychotic episodes. So at first, I wondered how this fitted into a fantasy novel and ...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to Gary Clark for sending me an ARC of The Dark, the third book in the Interland series. Once again, it was a privilege to be asked, and I loved reading it and falling into the world of Given and Readers. After the downfall of Readers, Jay, and her friends and family, are continuing with their lives and trying to get back to some sort of normality. Jay is working in Alf’s bookshop in a dedicated section on the top floor, which she is dedicated to the history of Given. Collecting books from all over the country, Jay has provided a wealth of information for anyone wanting to learn more.  But something isn’t right. Darkness appears to be just around the corner and Jay, Cassie, Stitch and their friends need a plan of action. They need to discover what is happening and work out how to fix it. As with his previous books, The Given and Interland, Gary Clark has written a real page-turner with The Dark. Full of tension, thrills and nail-biting experiences, The Dark t...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I t was an honour to be asked to read and review Interland (Interland Series Book #2) by Gary Clark before the publication date of 26 April 2021, and I would like to thank the author for this opportunity. Once again it was a delight to read a Gary Clark novel and a joy to discover the next adventures for Jay, Cassie and Stitch. Towards the end of Gary Clark’s previous novel, The Given, Jay and her friends discovered the Interland and found safety from the warped government officials on the outside. However, it is quickly becoming apparent that the outside world is on a downward spiral, Jay’s friend Cassie has gone missing, and the Readers are slowly getting closer to ruling in a way they believe is right. Jay, therefore, has no alternative other than to leave the safety of the Interland, search for Cassie and find out what is going wrong on the outside. Accompanied by her friends, and with the help of the energy of the elements around her - the land, the sea, the creatures and...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This review is for The Given (Interland Series Book #1) by Gary Clark . I was given this as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) by the author, and it was a privilege to read it. I reviewed this in February 2021. Described as a Young Adult dystopian fantasy novel, it drew me in from the outset, and I couldn’t put it down, turning the pages with enthusiasm as I needed to see what happened next! Jay has just turned 18, and her powers are becoming stronger. She isn’t yet aware of all this entails, however, she is aware that in the society she lives in, having the powers she does isn’t a good thing. Jay and others like her have enemies who are known as Readers, and her Dad, who also has some level of power, is arrested by the Readers and taken away from his family. As the Readers also become aware of Jay, she has no alternative other than to go on the run, and try and find the Interland - the place of legends that her Dad is convinced exists, where she will be safe. Along with her brothe...